Auto Scam ebay - Greg Fox [email protected]

I listed my car last night on ebay and within an hour I received an sms from +61428465117 saying:

"I'm Greg i'm keen to buy your car you have for sale? Kindly email me it's condition with your final asking price to [email protected]"

I had never known this sort of scam existed and I email him back.

Within 4 hours I had an email response which read:

"Thanks for the swift response...I am OK with the asking price.due to the nature of my job and location...i will not be able to come for inspection,am a very busy type as i work long hours everyday,i have gone through your advertisement and i am satisfied with it.As for the payment..i will be paying you via the fastest and secure way to pay online(PayPal).I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after the payment have been made ...so no shipping included.You can now send me your PayPal email so i can pay in right away and also include your address in your reply.If you don't have a paypal account, you can easily set up one...log on to http://www.paypal.com.au and sign up.all i really need from you is the exact details.Kindly delete the posting as am definitely buying it from you and it would be sad for me to make the payment only to be informed of the its sale.
Thanks"

I stupidly gave him my paypal email address and street address aals well as details of the car.

Then something told me to google this information - which brought me here.

In my case, there are no funds in my paypal account he can take, I've deleted account info from paypal, emailed [email protected] with all the details and relisted the ad with ebay (which was asked to be removed since he wanted the car).

I just wanted to make everyone aware of the name Greg Fox, his email address - [email protected] and the phone number above. He was on ebay which is where he got my number.

Has anyone else encountered this person?

What exactly is he looking to do with the information he has? (He has my name and address and email - nothing more).

Added quotations.(BW)

Welcome to Scamwarners thefourcjs,

I am happy to hear that you googled for information and landed here.

Please keep all your communication within Ebay's mail system. When your vehicle is sold Ebay/Paypal will send the buyer an invoice.

In this scam the scammer is NOT interested in your car. He wants to steal your money. No one will ever come to pick up the vehicle. It is all a scam with the scammer playing all roles. The scammer is using a free email address and a fake name.


The scammer wanted to send you a fake Paypal payment. He has a fake Paypal address from a free email provider. The payment would look real. Its a screen shot of a fake payment. He then will instruct you to pay a mover, shipper or agent. The fake Paypal email from the scammer would say that your Paypal funds will be released when you send the scammer (mover,agent or shipper) money via Western Union or Money Gram. In reality Paypal would never hold your funds.

Log into Paypal directly without any links to check for monies received or call Paypal directly from the number on their site.

If you are selling electronics, Cell phones or computers then the scammer is trying to steal your "item". Your fake funds will be released when you send the scammer a scan copy of a receipt showing you mailed your item.

This same scam works with fake check and money orders. You and your bank will think they are real. After you cash the fake check. Days or weeks later your bank will inform you of the fraud. Your bank will have you repay the monies. Possibly close your account for fraud and report you to Law Enforcement.

It's a very common scam and he's most likely sent the same message to a hundred other people today, and he'll do the same every day.

Ideally he wants to find a seller who isn't familiar with Paypal, which is why he gives instruction on how to sign up. Then he'll send you a spoof Paypal payment message including an extra amount that he'll ask you to send by Western Union to his collection agent. You can see where this is going now ?

He's not buying your car or even trying to hack your Paypal. He wants to kid you in to paying his imaginary collection agent and he'll pick up the money and spend the night in the bar.

It's annoying and irritating but there's not a lot that can be done about it, except to ignore people who invent reasons why you have to make payments when you're a seller.

It's so common I have a note in my siggy like below. He'll hide his back story and a full explanation until he feels he has you well and truly hooked.

Thank you so much for your quick response!!

What a dirty scumbag. At the point of asking for money I would have been telling him to hike.

I was tempted to contact him and let him know that I have reported him etc - however I doubt he'll care.

This was a great lesson. I consider myself pretty savvy when it comes to online scamming that I am totally kicking myself this didn't trigger until I'd given him my details!

I wanted to come here and let everyone else know.

Thank you again for your guidance and information

Dammit I knew this was too good to be true. I've just the exact same thing. haha.

I think I've done pretty well though. Here's our interactions:

First I got this SMS

"Sent from: Tony Bell Is your car still for sale? Kindly email me it's condition with your asking price to [email protected] P.S Email only can't reply sms."

The fact his name was different to his email was my first trigger...

Now come the emails

7/01/2014

Hi There,

Not sure if this is Tony or Greg? Thanks for your interest in my Toyota Hilux Surf.

Yes it is still for sale and I'm asking $7500 ONO so feel free to make an offer.

It's in great condition. It's the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned and will keep going for many more years I'm sure. It's got a newer engine out of a Hilux in it which only has about 100,000kms on it so the insides of this car are solid and being a diesel should go for a really long time.

More details are in the ad here: Xxxxxxxxxxxx


Feel free to give me a call if you wanted to ask any questions,


All the best,

Xxxxxxxx


Then I got this reply

Thanks for the swift response...I am OK with the asking price.due to the nature of my job and location...i will not be able to come for inspection,am a very busy type as i work long hours everyday,i have gone through your advertisement and i am satisfied with it.As for the payment..i will be paying you via the fastest and secure way to pay online(PayPal).I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after the payment have been made ...so no shipping included.You can now send me your PayPal email so i can pay in right away and also include your address in your reply.If you don't have a paypal account, you can easily set up one...log on to http://www.paypal.com.au and sign up.all i really need from you is the exact details.Kindly delete the posting as am definitely buying it from you and it would be sad for me to make the payment only to be informed of the its sale.
Thanks.

Alarm bells were ringing now but I guess I thought well screw it as long as I keep it smart what's the worst that can happen... I clicked on his email and saw absolutely no contact info, no image etc.. This is when I should have ignored him but I guess I wanted to play. Next Email.

Hi again,

That's fantastic I'm glad you like it. It will be a good car and I'm sure will give you many years of motoring pleasure. I've got a paypal account so I've set up an invoice for the vehicle and I'll be sending that through shortly.

As soon as I have received and confirmed payment I'll let you know where to send your courier agent to pick up the car. I'll also have the transfer papers ready to sign on pickup. Will the car be transferred into your name or the couriers name? I'll just need that person's details like Name, address, license number etc so that I can fill them out for you!

Please feel free to call me with any questions,

All the best and chat soon,

Xxxxxx



I'll let you know if he responds. Game on Greg Fox... Game on.

Welcome to Scamwarners DreamDolphin,

Now that you know he is a scammer it is just best to ignore him completely. Do not respond to anymore of his messages nor inform him that he is posted here.

He has all your real life information. It is not safe to play with criminals.

Okay I will ignore him from here.


That is a good point.. He has my address and everything now...


Okay thanks

hi I have had a few very interesting emails regarding a car for sale I have on tradingpost.com.au - we placed it on this afternoon and bang we had an email
1) Thanks for the swift response...I am OK with the asking price.due to the nature of my job and location...i will not be able to come for inspection,am a very busy type as i work long hours everyday,i have gone through your advertisement and i am satisfied with it.As for the payment..i will be paying you via the fastest and secure way to pay online(PayPal).I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after the payment have been made ...so no shipping included.You can now send me your PayPal email so i can pay in right away and also include your address in your reply.If you don't have a paypal account, you can easily set up one...log on to www.paypal.com.au and sign up.all i really need from you is the exact details.Kindly delete the posting as am definitely buying it from you and it would be sad for me to make the payment only to be informed of the its sale.
Thanks.
2)
My address is 12/56 sixth av maylands 6051 Perth wa,My licence no: is 029861538..With the issue of my details,transferring the name of ownership and signing of all paperwork will be done by the pick up agent so you don't have to worry about that.,as soon as you send me your PayPal email i will make the payment and you will be notify in your email that the payment have been made.Very easy.For example my PayPal email is [email protected] Send me your PayPal email now so i can pay in

3) Thanks for the mail..Due to the nature of my work,phone calls making and visiting of
website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an
email regarding it.
Don't worry about the pick up,my shipping agent will be coming to pick it up.
I'll like you to send me your address so that my shipping agent can figure it out
and come for the pick up and other necessary things....more so,send me your
PayPal details(PayPal email) so i can pay in.
Await your response



please keep an eye on the phrases that these people use , they are the key to being able to weed out these scammers...

hi I have had a few very interesting emails regarding a car for sale I have on tradingpost.com.au - we placed it on this afternoon and bang we had an email
1) Thanks for the swift response...I am OK with the asking price.due to the nature of my job and location...i will not be able to come for inspection,am a very busy type as i work long hours everyday,i have gone through your advertisement and i am satisfied with it.As for the payment..i will be paying you via the fastest and secure way to pay online(PayPal).I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after the payment have been made ...so no shipping included.You can now send me your PayPal email so i can pay in right away and also include your address in your reply.If you don't have a paypal account, you can easily set up one...log on to http://www.paypal.com.au and sign up.all i really need from you is the exact details.Kindly delete the posting as am definitely buying it from you and it would be sad for me to make the payment only to be informed of the its sale.
Thanks.
2)
My address is 12/56 sixth av maylands 6051 Perth wa,My licence no: is 029861538..With the issue of my details,transferring the name of ownership and signing of all paperwork will be done by the pick up agent so you don't have to worry about that.,as soon as you send me your PayPal email i will make the payment and you will be notify in your email that the payment have been made.Very easy.For example my PayPal email is [email protected] Send me your PayPal email now so i can pay in

3) Thanks for the mail..Due to the nature of my work,phone calls making and visiting of
website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an
email regarding it.
Don't worry about the pick up,my shipping agent will be coming to pick it up.
I'll like you to send me your address so that my shipping agent can figure it out
and come for the pick up and other necessary things....more so,send me your
PayPal details(PayPal email) so i can pay in.
Await your response



please keep an eye on the phrases that these people use , they are the key to being able to weed out these scammers...

The third reply was after I sent NO PAYPAL ACCOUNT. I have not replied - I have forwarded all the correspondence to [email protected] ( I also CC'd them in the return emails so this Greg Fox person could see it)

Obviously still going with this one... See below email trail.


From: Removed (BW)
Sent: Tuesday, 5 August 2014 1:56 PM
To: 'greg fox'
Cc: Removed (BW)
Subject: RE: Moto

Where is it that you work? Maybe I could come and find you? I find putting cash in someone’s hand to be the safest method of payment. I have been subscribed to that payment method for many years. I would really like you to buy my bike as you seem like ‘an honourable person’ but funnily enough when I googled your email address I found an entry on a scam warning website which had copies of emails which are word for word the same as the ones you have sent me. I want to give you the benefit of the doubt. So I will still sell you my bike, however due to demand the price has just gone up to $15,000. Hopefully that is not a problem.

Thanks for your continued interest.

Removed (BW)

From: greg fox [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, 5 August 2014 1:43 PM
To: Removed (BW)
Subject: RE: Moto

Due to my present location, my choices are limited and not often available by the phone i would have call you.I am an honorable person and you will receive your money cash in hand before it picked up. However,it's easy and free to open a paypal account. Just go to their website http://www.paypal.com and sign up a personal account there. Paypal is the world leading payment master that protects both buyer/seller interest.You are on a secured transaction with paypal.Above all,it's like instant cash.As soon as you open an account,get back to me with the name and email that you linked with your paypal account and I will have your money sent asap. And due to the nature of my job and having being a paypal customer for the past 18 months with no charge back,I feel more comfortable sending my funds via paypal due to there various security measures at ensuring safe and secured transaction between both buyer/seller. But,if you feel otherwise, I totally understand

________________________________________
Subject: RE: Moto
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2014 13:34:17 +1000
From: Removed (BW)
To: [email protected]
CC: Removed (BW)
Hey Greg,

I am a little bit confused as in your text earlier today you said you wanted to meet for a viewing. I am guessing that in the last hour the nature and location of your job has changed?

If you would like to buy the bike you can pay me in cash. If you would like to scam me, I think you have struck out.

Removed (BW)

From: greg fox [mailto: [email protected] ]
Sent: Tuesday, 5 August 2014 1:13 PM
To:Removed (BW)
Subject: RE: Moto

Thanks for the swift response...I am OK with the asking price.due to the nature of my job and location...i will not be able to come for inspection,am a very busy type as i work long hours everyday,i have gone through your advertisement and i am satisfied with it.As for the payment..i will be paying you via the fastest and secure way to pay online(PayPal).If you don't have a paypal account, you can easily set up one...log on to http://www.paypal.com.au and sign up.you can alternatively send your bsb and account number you can receive a direct deposit into your bank account from paypal.I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after the payment have been made ...so no shipping included.You can now send me your details so i can pay in right away and also include your address in your reply.Kindly delete the posting as am definitely buying it from you and it will not be picked up until you have your funds credit to your bank account,kindly help me look into this and get back to me asap.Thanks.

________________________________________
Subject: Moto
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2014 12:57:54 +1000
From: Removed (BW)
To: [email protected]
Hey Greg,

Yeah bike is still for sale. I only put it up last night. Asking price is $7.5k but I would be willing to dip to $7k. Not urgently selling and I love the bike so not really willing to dip further.

Got loads more photos is you want to see it or feel free to come for a ride (so long as you give me car keys or something to hold on to).

Let me know if you are interested.

Cheers
Removed (BW)

Thanks for the swift response...I am OK with the asking price.due to the nature of my job and location...i will not be able to come for inspection,am a very busy type as i work long hours everyday,i have gone through your advertisement and i am satisfied with it.As for the payment..i will be paying you via the fastest and secure way to pay online(PayPal).If you don't have a paypal account, you can easily set up one...log on to www.paypal.com.au and sign up.you can alternatively send your bsb and account number you can receive a direct deposit into your bank account from paypal.I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after the payment have been made ...so no shipping included.You can now send me your details so i can pay in right away and also include your address in your reply.Kindly delete the posting as am definitely buying it from you and it will not be picked up until you have your funds credit to your bank account,kindly help me look into this and get back to me asap.Thanks.

I've just recieved my obligatory email tonight from Greg Fox willing to buy my car.
I've replied that I will only accept Western Union money transfer and can pick money up in the morning!
Still waiting for Greg's response.

He has changed his email and is using different phone numbers. But uses the same name. Why can't this guy be caught? I received same message for my car. Luckily after reading this site I have stopped contact. So badly want revenge but he could easily want revenge back and he has my phone number, my email , my full name and details about my car.
police not interested. That's why criminals can be so blazen. Thank goodness for this site.

Gees, now I've been scammed, thought I knew all the tricky ones
He now is on Gum tree which is the free eBay web site
I now I've his second text message

His new phone number is : 61447100304
And is email has also changed to : [email protected]

Hope this helps out someone

[email protected]
614-471-00304

Thank you for the update. Sorry you are a victim.

For the reasons you mentioned is why we ask sellers to sell in person/face to face with cash in a public place.